Snape and Tepes Industries
by Yin Long Nocturne
Summary: Severus Snape is a recently graduated Slytherin struggling to survive in a world where Slytherins are feared. Nosferatu Tepes is the Heir to the largest Vampire Clan in Europe, but he's a human. Together they decide to create a potions empire, just to prove everyone wrong! No ships, Marauders Era fic.
1. The Beginning

Chapter 1 – The Beginning

Severus's POV

It has been 3 months since I graduated Hogwarts, three long months and yet I feel no better than I did when I walked its halls. A year ago, if you had asked me, I would have told you with great conviction that once I was away from James Potter and his 'Marauder' friends my life would be vastly more enjoyable. Unfortunately, that is not so. These are dark times, and any Slytherin is treated with fear and great suspicion, no one will hire me – a no-name Half Blood. Even if I graduated with the highest score in Potions Hogwarts has seen in years. Even if my mother was the last Prince and named me her heir in her Will, allowing me access to the largest Potions library in all of Europe. No… no master will take me as his apprentice, no brewery with hire me and every shop in Diagon Alley will not let me through their doors.

I have been marked as a follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort, even though I do not bear his mark. I have been branded in the eyes of the Ministry and the Wizarding public. Knockturn Alley is the only place I am free from outright suspicion and fear, which is why I return here - to Asmodeus - every night. Hah, I must look pathetic, sitting at the bar night after night with only a tumbler of Firewhiskey to keep me company. Although it is damn good Firewhiskey, one good came from having Lucius Malfoy as a roommate all those years: it gave me a taste for good quality, strong Firewhiskey.

Nosfertu's POV

It's been three months since I left the main clan behind, leaving in the middle of the day when none but the few human servants who look after the young ones were awake. It was easier that way; I didn't have to face mother and father, nor the rest of my former clan. I was sick of seeing the pity and the doubt in their eyes, hearing them whisper '_How will he lead the clan, he is no vampire?' 'He is a disgrace; he should have been killed on his 15th birthday.' 'Who will lead the clan now; there are no other direct heirs?' _Yeah, what a joke, the heir to the largest, most prosperous vampire clan in existence and he's as human as they come!

I found the cheapest lodgings I could when I arrived in the Wizarding sector of London; I only brought one pouch of gold with me after all. And even if it does have an undetectable Expansion charm on it, I don't know how long I'll be without incoming cash. The room I'm staying in is small and rather grimy, but at least it's a roof over my head and a bed under my back for the nights. The inbuilt warming and cooling charms are a bonus, even if they are archaic.

The thing with vampires is that part of the transformation includes our 'death' and we do actually die, albeit only for a few seconds, before our hearts restart. Those few seconds of death loosen any natural magic we may have had, allowing it to seep back into the earth. This part of the transformation happens for everyone with more than half vampire lineage. Including me, my misfortune lies in that when I woke up, the powers a vampire usually receives to take the place of his or her natural magic weren't there, along with my fangs. If it had just been the fangs, it would have been alright there are a few 'fangless' vampires around the place. I would have been a bit of a disappointment, but I could still have led the clan. A vampire without power, though, is like a wizard without magic. We are perceived as weak, useless beings. Some believe we should be killed, other would just exile us. That is what would have happened to me, if I hadn't been the clan's only heir. Instead they spent months deliberating on what to do with me; should I still be Clan Head, maybe I should be a puppet ruler, or should they just push me aside for one of my cousins – who are the next in line to the throne.

71N3 13R3AK

It's busy in Asmodeus tonight, all the tables are full and my usual place at the bar has been taken by a mean looking werewolf with a wicked scar bisecting his right eye and his hand glued to the hilt of a bloodstained machete. _'Looks like I'm out of a seat. I ain't messing with him; you could pay me all the gold in the world and I still wouldn't do it. Everyone with a lick of sense and a brain left in their heads knows not to mess with Fenrir and his Pack. The Greyback Pack is the largest pack in Britain and they have a reputation for being ruthless.'_ I walk further into the club, tracing a narrow path between the dance floor and the tables. The gloom is thicker here, the small traceries of colourful light from the dance floor barely reach through the smoke. That and the wall seem to suck in any light; not that I mind, the darkness is comforting after so many years off living in darkness and shadows the light is strange and almost painful for me.

Finally, all the way down the other end of the bar I find an empty seat. It's not the end one, as I could have liked, but it'll do. On my right is a stoned out Fae who is never seen anything less than half of his face with something, most likely illegal; he won't do anything except sit there riding out his high. On my right is a dark haired bloke, with a hooked nose that looks like it's been broken several times too many and not been set right. I've seen him occasionally; he always sits in the darkest corner of the club with his hair hiding his face from view. _'At least he doesn't look like he'll bother me on my quest to get smashed yet again.'_

I plonk myself down on the empty stool, gesturing to the barman. They know me so well now they never have to ask for my order. Not that that's any surprise: I'm in here every night and I always drink the same thing – double shots of fortified Firewhiskey laced with Dragons Blood – Blood Whiskey, it's called. It's the strongest alcoholic drink this side of the Dimensional Gates – the Demons make a wicked strong brew that'll knock even a vampire off his feet after a small barrel. I may not be a true vamp, but I did get a taste for blood and a _very_ high tolerance for alcohol.

Which is why my baseline order is twenty extra strong 'Blood Whiskeys', I'll down a hundred of them on a good night, and that won't even leave me with that bad of a hangover the next morning. You gave that to a human, they'd be dead with alcohol poisoning before you could say '_Firewhiskey'_. Even most werewolves wouldn't get past the seventy-fifth glass or so, and that's saying something 'cause they're notorious for being almost as impossible to get drunk, just a step below a vampire's tolerance level. _'It's something to do with the metabolism I think…'_

Severus's POV

I look up from my drink, startled as someone collapses into the stool next to me. I had hoped that the bar wouldn't be so full as to necessitate someone seating themselves next to me, or if all else failed, the stoned Fae would be enough of a deterrent. Unfortunately, my luck – what little of it I had – has most definitely run out.

Peering through my hair, I assess this newcomer. He appears to be a vampire, but there is something missing, something fundamental. I do not know what it is, but … _'He doesn't have the presence about him, the one that creates terror and fear with just a look. It's completely absent. He almost seems to radiate… spastic cheerfulness!? Like that hyperactive puppy that really annoys you by jumping up and down and yipping until you want to strangle it…!?'_ But even that doesn't make sense as you can plainly see by his body language that he's as depressed as I am.

As I contemplate the newest unsolvable mystery of the world I watch him wave the barman over. Curiously, said barman merely nods to him before wandering down the other end of the bar. Several minutes later he appears with a tray laden with shot glasses filled with a bloody, smoking concoction. Something the likes of which I have never seen, certainly not as a drink you would imbibe willingly. '_It reminds me of a particularly gruesome dark potion that was used by a dark lord in the 13th_ _century. It was like the Witch Burnings, except it was purely psychological. He used it for torture. The recipe has since been mostly lost, not that we would be able to create it anyway, Fire Equines are a dead species.'_

The barman sets the tray down silently and goes about preparing the next order. My unknown companion drains six of these shots in quick succession, barely pausing to put down an empty glass and pick up the next. As he goes to pick up the seventh he pauses, murmuring under his breath, "Ah, Blood Whiskey, how thee soothes my troubled soul," his face is marred by a sarcastic smirk that borders on a grimace. I take a closer look at this vampire, for now I am certain – only vampire will drink Blood Whiskey, bar the occasional werewolf with something to prove. As I examine him more thoroughly I see a heavy cast of grief and sadness in the slouch of his shoulders, defeat mingled with frustrated anger in his eyes and the way his fingers clutch at the glass so hard they go white.

What has happened to this creature that he appears full of heavy, dark emotions; yet still projects an aura of playfulness and cheer? What has caused such huge disparities between his nature and his current disposition? As I watch him, mind mulling over the complex puzzle he has presented me with I continue to drink through my bottomless glass of Firewhiskey.

* * *

Well, here it is, the first chapter of my new story. This story is going to take priority for the next few weeks, as my assignment dictates I have to spend 2 hours minimum on this a week, alongside my nine other subjects.

This first chapter was a lot more angsty than I thought it would be and it's basically just introducing Nosferatu (my OC lead). I didn't realize how long it took to intro characters!

It (hopefully) won't be so sad and depressing-y next chapter, but I had to set up all their gory pasts... I feel a bit weird, this whole idea is a crack!fic, but this chapter is at all following that line...

~ Yin

Edited - 13/05/2013


	2. Waking Up

Chapter 2 – Waking Up

As I wake my hangover makes itself well known in the rhythmic pounding in my head and a foul taste in my mouth. I peel my eyelids open and blink spastically until the white spots under my lids fade into the pale beige of the ceiling. I stare dumbly at the painted boards for several long moments, waiting for my brain to click into gear. When it does I bolt upright, suddenly very aware that I'm in an unfamiliar room with no recollection of the last night past the arrival of the strange, not-vampire.

The change in altitude, small though it was, has my vision blurring and my stomach threatening to empty its contents. As my bout of nausea settles itself I look around the room, hoping for some kind of clue to where I am and what I was doing before I passed out. I am assuming I passed out at some point last night - unsurprisingly given the amount of alcohol I drank last night - or I would be waking up to my brick walled loft in the middle of Muggle London.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, hard, with my fingers hoping the slight pain will dispel my confusion. It doesn't, not that I had really expected it to, but it does remind me to survey my surroundings. I am propped on one elbow on the left side of large king size bed in a wood panelled room with a white ceiling. There are anchored _Lumos_ floating near around the room but it is otherwise empty. It appears I have been placed in the 'Drunks Room'; most of Knockturn's bars and clubs have one of these: it helps keep the injuries down. Less injuries means less visits from the Aurors; something all the inhabitants of Knockturn Alley will do everything to avoid.

A low groan alerts me to my bed partner's, _'When did he get there?'_ awakening.

Nosferatu's POV

Just because vampires have good alcohol tolerance, doesn't mean the hangovers are any better. _'In fact I think they're worse because we consume that much more alcohol than other species.'_ I groan as I wake, cursing my vampire heritage as I do everyone morning after a heavy drinking session. I stare blankly up at the ceiling _'Why is the ceiling white, it's supposed to be beige? At least, I think it was beige…'_ Yes as you can see, I don't really have the most intelligence in the mornings. As I become more aware, I realize there is a human presence beside me. _'Why is there a human in bed with me? And more importantly, what happened!? I can't remember anything past closing and being dragged out of the main bar by the bartender and a couple of the bouncers.'_

Slowly I turn my head to the left and see the dark haired wizard I sat next to last night, propped up on an elbow on the other side of the bed. "Umm…" I mutter, feeling extremely nervous. He's looking at me with a searching stare, one that makes me automatically uncomfortable.

"What exactly happened last night?" he hisses at me, eyes narrowed and cheeks slightly flushed.

Severus's POV

My bedfellow straightens up crossing his legs and pulling the sheet up around his waist, thankfully he's wearing sleep pants and I'm hoping his explanation will include the barman or another person transfiguring our clothes.

"Ah, um … well…" he stutters and stumbles over his words, looking supremely uncomfortable. _'Nice to know I haven't lost my touch…"_

"Well what?" I ask, an eyebrow raised.

"I don't … really know. I mean, I remember being dragged out of the main bar about 2, maybe 3 in the morning but past that I'm not sure. I think the bartender dumped us in here because we were too drunk to Apparate at closing and they were out of Sobriety potions." There is a slight pause before he seems to gather up the courage to speak again. "Um, what's your name? I've seen you at the bar a couple of times, but I never heard your name."

I watch him intently trying to judge his purpose in asking for my name. Names are important in the magical world, they have power; both over the person and their magic, it can also alert you to their political stance and any other alliances. "Severus Snape, your name?"

"Nosferatu Tepes." He returns with a slight grimace.

"Tepes, you say." I pause "Isn't that the vampire clan, yet I am quite sure are a human, mostly at least." I muse aloud.

"Yeah," he mutters sourly, "One hundred percent completely human, part from the eyes the high alcohol tolerance, a slight amount of extra grace."

"You are human yet you carry several tell tales signs of vampirism, what are you? Some kind of hybrid creature perhaps?" He has piqued my interest even more so now. I have never heard of human with tell-tale vampiric features before.

"Yeah, my vampirism didn't manifest, I don't want to talk about it." He mumbles, brow furrowed in frustration, a glimmer of sadness in his eyes; it seems I have hit a nerve.

"Very well."

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[4 hours later… General POV]

"So, this potions empire, what would it be like? If there was nothing standing in your way to make it, I mean." Nosferatu asked from his position sprawled on the floor, having been pushed there 20 minutes into their conversation.

Severus is quiet for several minutes before he says quietly "It would be run out of large mansion in the country, with many acres of land for ingredients to be grown and reared upon. There would be a house for me and any other employees and a large hall set up as a lab with separate spaces for volatile potions and research labs in a series of adjacent buildings. There would be warded environments for all the animals and plants needed and an artificial mountain range to seed minerals and metals in." Severus trails off, lost in fantasies of what his empire would be like.

Nosferatu sits up and looks pensively at Severus. _'I like that idea, I want to make a name apart from my family and I want to be able to do something I love.'_ Taking a deep breath he says, "Severus?"

"Yes," Severus acknowledges sharply.

"Could we do that? Start a potions empire together…?" He asks, looking unsure, yet hopeful.

"And how exactly would we be doing that? Land costs money, plants and animals do too. Not to mention the ongoing cost of upkeep and maintenance." Severus snorts derisively.

"No, this is just a pipe dream, nothing more."

"But what if we can make it happen? Please Severus?" Nosferatu said pouting slightly, perfect puppy dog eyes being directed straight at Severus.

"… Fine!" _'Stupid puppy dog eyes, Lily could get me to anything with those and I still can't resist them.'_ "How are we doing this?" he asks with a sigh.

"First we work out how much we have. Then we see about getting ourselves a property." He said cheerfully, practically bouncing in his seat.

'_What am I getting myself into…?'_

Edited - 13/05/2013


	3. So This Potions Empire of Yours

Chapter 3: So... this Potions Empire of yours.

[The next day]

"Severus, come on Severus wake up!" I yell into his ear while shaking the shoulder I can see. He's sprawled face down on the only bed, the covers over everything but his left shoulder. We'd ended up talking so long into the night that we'd fallen asleep where we were sitting; in the room behind the bar in Asmodeus - at least that's where we had assumed we were. Severus is lucky he fell asleep on the bed – I ended up on the floor; Cushioning charms only do so much, you know.

I huff; Severus shows no signs of waking. It's midday already and I want to get going! Unless the clock on the wall is wrong - I wouldn't put it past the owners to move it forward a couple of hours to get people to leave faster. 'Heh. We've been here for almost two days. They can't be too happy with us.' I move to shake Severus again but this time he grabs my wrist in an iron grip. Apparently I have woken him up, and he's definitely not happy about it. The thought has barely registered before I'm face planting the floor by arm twisted behind my back and Severus's wand jammed into my neck. "Um...Severus... Can you let me up now?" an edge of hysteria just present in my voice.

"Of course Nosferatu!" the sentence positively dripping with sarcasm, "As long as you never, ever do that again... comprehend?"

"Yes, oh great and powerful one! I will never ever attempt to think of such a thing" I whimper, I may have almost been a vampire, but Severus is damn scary when he's half asleep with his wand in your neck!

"Good!" Severus said, finally climbing off me and replacing his wand in his wrist holster. Seating himself on the side of the bed he says, "Was there a particular reason for your unsavoury awakening?"

"Well, yeah. Duh! It's almost midday and I wanna get to Gringotts before the Goblins lose what little good mood they could have had to the crowds of prejudice Purebloods." I say, rolling my eyes.

"Ah." He said slowly, a glint of confusion barely visible in his eyes. "And why, exactly, are we going to a Wizard bank, together?"

The way he says this makes me feel like I'm missing something. "Um, we're going to pool resources to make our Potions Empire. You know? The one we talked about yesterday?"

Again I end up on the floor with Severus's wand in important fleshy bits - namely my neck. He's spitting something garbled at me, snarling harsh, guttural words into my ear. _'Is that German, or perhaps ... Polish?'_ What little he does say in English is fragmented.

"What bloody! ...Potions empire...complete dunderhead...how in Merlins name!?"

"Severus, you're gonna need to calm a little. I can't understand what you're saying." I'm surprisingly calm for having a trigger happy wizard with his wand at my throat._ 'Maybe it's because he did it before, half asleep I might add, and nothing came of it.''_

Severus pulls himself off me, again, and settles himself on the edge of the bed. He sighs heavily, lifts a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and finally looks at me, "Please tell me I was well under the influence of several alcoholic beverages at the time I make this exceedingly foolish decision?"

"Uh, layman's terms Severus. Words more than seven letters long have no place in normal conversation!"

With an obvious look of disgust he complies, "Please tell me I was drunk when I decided I was going to create a potions empire, with you."

"Sorry Sevvy, I can't. We were perfectly sober at the time, if a little hungover."

"You didn't persuade, coerce or otherwise alter my decision?" He asks, then almost as an afterthought yells, "And DON'T call me Sevvy, or any other butchering of my name. It is perfectly fine as it is!"

"Fine," I pout, "As long as you call me Nozzie." ' _I hate my bloody name, what kind of person would name their child that anyway?'_

I can see him hesitating so I sing obnoxiously, "Sev, Sevvie, Severie …"

"Alright, enough, enough! I will call you … Nozzie," he says quickly, looking very uncomfortable.

Severus's POV

A quick Tempus affirms his statement of it nearing midday, and with few words spoken between us we gather ourselves and vacate the room. As we leave Asmodeus and head towards the thoroughfare between the two Alleys I ask my companion, "Remind me again; exactly what are we doing?"

"We're heading to Gringotts to work out exactly how much money we have to spend on a property and all the other material things we need for our empire." Nozzie says cheerfully. _'Why does he insist I call him by that ridiculous name, his full name is quite sufficient.'_

The rest of our journey is spent in silence, whether is it companionable or awkward I am not quite sure. I know too little of my companion, soon to be business partner, to be sure of the atmosphere. Once we are inside Gringotts we hasten to join the nearest queue for the tellers. Even though it is mid-week and the middle of the day, the bank is full and the lines are long.

When we reach the front of the queue and gain the attention of a free Goblin teller I ask politely – respect is always good when dealing with Goblins, they are a proud race, and it is not prudent to anger them. "May we see Account Manager Snarltooth? I wish to speak with him about a future investment." Investment is a magic word where Goblins are concerned, anything involving profit really. So long as you treat them with respect and listen to them regarding money, they will treat you civilly; at least that is what my mother said before she passed.

"You may Mr Snape." He rings a brass bell, that doesn't seem to emit a sound at all. But it must have as a young Goblin swiftly through a small door behind the counters. "Escort Mr Snape and his companion to Manager Snarltooth's office." The teller says sharply to the Goblin, turning back to us he says, "If you'll follow Griphook, he will lead you to Manager Snarltooth."

Griphook leads us through a maze of passageways that spiral slowly underground. Finally he slows to a halt in front of a large wrought iron door. "This is Manager Snarltooth's office, I will leave you here." He says and promptly disappears around a corner going back to the tasks which occupied him before he was escorting us.

With a sharp sideways glance to warn Nozzie to behave I knock sharply on the door. A faint "Enter" is heard just moments later. The office we walk into exudes wealth, but it's understated – like an upper middle class house. The wall opposite the entrance way is filled with large bookshelves, just in front of it is a dark, oaken desk. Manager Snarltooth is the same as always, small and stout with small spectacles perched on the end of his long, thin nose.

"Good day, Manager Snarltooth, may your gold always flow." I say, starting the traditional greeting used when entering Goblin territory with the intent to bargain.

"And to you Mr Snape." He says solemnly. "And would your companion be one Nosferatu Tepes of the Tepes Clan?"

"Yes, he is." I answer, quickly so as to not allow Nosferatu an opportunity to speak and offend my account manager.

"Ah. Well then, what are you here for, Mr Snape?"

"I would like to discuss opening and running a potions empire. Mr Tepes would be my partner in this endeavour. We are wondering as to the services Gringotts Bank might provide us with."

"Gringotts can find you a property, broker the deal and set up wards at your chosen locations. If your business is successful we will handle investment in your business, both for our race and others of yours. We can introduce you to possible staff and suppliers as well providing neutral ground for business meetings for import and export deals."

Before I can properly gather my thoughts Nozzie is jabbering a mile a minute at my Manager.

"That's great! Just what we were hoping. Can you find a property that's really big – it needs to fit several houses, a stable, paddocks, fields, a forest, a mini mountain range, greenhouses … … …" he keeps on listing and listing, until I Silence him: Silencing Charms are such wonderful things. _'Especially when you're in the company of a bumbling idiot who is prone to babbling.'_

"My apologies on my companions behalf, Manager Snarltooth."

"Accepted, Mr Snape. Though I presume you wish the same?"

"Yes, we need a property large enough to house our business, the animals, plants and minerals it needs and any worker we acquire as well as ourselves."

"Then it will have to be quite large. If you will give a moment I will have someone collate a list of all available properties nearing the size you will need." He says, then at my nod of acquiescence he rings a brass bell, not unlike the one we saw at the tellers counter and has a rapid conversation in Gobbledegook with the Goblin who appears.

Nosferatu's POV

Quickly seeing that we had been semi dismissed, at least until the list of properties comes, I drag Severus over to one corner to talk about well, random shit '_We should probably work out some more of the logistics before we decide on a place to build.'_

* * *

A/N:

I know this cuts out at really, really quickly after switching to Nosferatu's POV, but I've got to write another chapter before the weeks out, so I wanted to finish it up quickly. The next chapter will continue on from in Nozzie's POV.

I should also note that I don't know anything about buying a property or starting a business. It's completely made up, as are all the bank processes.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

~ Yin

Edited - 13/05/2013


	4. Paperwork

Chapter 4: Paperwork

Nosferatu's POV

"So, Severus, what kind of place do you want? Somewhere so big it would more than a day to walk from border to border? What about an island?" I say, getting more and more excited. I'm practically bouncing now.

"We will certainly need the space. But I didn't think there were any unoccupied islands anymore."

"You are partially right, Mr Snape. All the island are occupied by some kind of sentient being. However there are three islands that could be sold. Providing, of course, the new owners are accepting of the current inhabitants."

"Hey! Maybe that's what we need!" I say. I'd originally thought it take more effort to find a place to start up. _'Seems I was wrong.'_

"Craggrip will be back soon with the list. It will have all the details about he islands as well as the other large properties we could sell to you."

As if summond the goblin slips in the through a hidden door and says "The files you requested, Manager Snarltooth."

"Thank you Craggrip. You may leave now." Manager Snarltooth replies. Snarltooth moves over to a low, wide table; where he spreads a large map of magical Britain and its surrounds. "This map has been marked with the properties available to Gringotts at this time. The territory boundaries have been marked in red." He pushes the map over towards us.

Severus leans over the map, tracing the red lines with a fingertip. I'm happy to let him take over this part of the procedure. _'I wouldn't really know what to look for anyway.'_

"What are your thoughts, Nosferatu?" Severus cuts into my musings.

"Um, this one…" I say, pointing at a random spot on the map.

"Really?" he says, raising an eyebrow"Hm, good choice." A combination of surprise and curiosity in his voice. He turns to the Goblin and says "How much?" tapping the map with a long nail to indicate the one he wants.

"That one... 300,000 galleons. But you should know that there are no settlements or buildings fit for human inhabitants. Aside from that it has plenty of space; it is a small island of the north coast. It already has a series of very strong wards geared toward keeping out anyone but the current inhabitants. There are also wards to protect the flora and fauna from large scale damage - without upsetting the natural balance."

"Sounds good!" I say, "Could I speak with Severus for a moment?" I ask politely.

"... Very well. I will gather the documentation necessary for your purchase." Manager Snarltooth says slowly.

Severus looks at me curiously. _'He's probably wondering why I asked his manager to leave.' _

"How are we going to pool resources for the business and have them available to the both of us. Without having to have the other person there."

"You make a good point. I did not anticipate the problem of funding this endeavour. What would you suggest?"

"I figured we'd just put all the gold in this," I hold out my undetectably expanded money bag, "into a vault with the companies name on it and I get a stipulation the contracts that no matter what happens I have a patch of land on the island for myself. I just become one of the 'existing inhabitants' if the empire busts." I say with a shrug.

"That should be quite simple." Manager Snarltooth says, having returned sometime during our discussion. "We will add you to the list of inhabitants with a note as to what territory lines you have."

"Great!" I exclaim. This look like it will really work. With the added bonus of a permanent residence no matter what happens. "So now all we gotta do is set up the company account and go buy this place."

"You're mostly correct, Nosferatu. However there is a lot of paperwork, permits and permission needed before we can actually set up."

I pout, I want things up and running quickly!

Severus's POV

The glare I send Nosferatu quickly wipes the pout off his face, _'He is a fool to have thought this would be simple.'_

"I am afraid you shall have to wait a while before we truly get started. There will no doubt we copious amounts of paperwork to fill in and then we must build our living quarters as well as any other infrastructure we need. Then, finally, we can begin to source our ingredients."

He stares at me with a look of such horror that I almost fail to supress my smile. ' _His naivety is, dare I say it… cute'_ I shudder at the thought.

"Still! Let's get this show on the road, yeah?" he whines at me like I have all the answers. I sigh and turn towards my manager, hoping he has a way to shut up the fool sitting to my left.

"I have here the deeds for the land and all the other permits and permissions you will need here with me now." It seems Manager Snarltooth is very good at dealing with foolish wizards, or in this case, vampires. "All you have to do now is fill them all out." With that, he dumps a stack of papers in front of our noses, it's so large no longer can I see him on the other side of the table. "It shouldn't take too long." I hear from the other side of the stack.

_"Won't take long!? We will be lucky if we are out of this office by midday tomorrow morning, by the size of that pile!"_ My thoughts are echoed aloud by Nosferatu to which Manager Snarltooth replies, "Perhaps, yes. I shall leave you now and I expect my office to be clear by tomorrow evening." With a threatening glare toward the both of us he leaves, the door shutting noiselessly behind him.

"Well, there no time like the present. Best get started." Nosferatu says, reaching for the pile. He cuts it in half, "I'll take this half and you take that one, if there's anything I need to read, or vice versa I'll show you, yeah?"

"That is acceptable," I say, reaching for a quill and the first sheet on my pile.

It quickly becomes apparent that the sheets in the pile are merely the _first sheet_ of an entire document that needs to be read and signed. Forms for land acquisition, compatibility with current inhabitant, medical forms, background checks, building permits, business permits, animals keeping and breeding permits, agricultural permits, lab permits, experimentation permits and countless others; some in duplicate or even triplicate.

"It truly has taken us a day and a night to complete these," I sigh, rolling my shoulder to relieve the tension from sitting hunched over to long.

"Hmm, yeah, way too long…" He trails off into a yawn, sprawling back into his seat.

"Come, we need to finish up, we are nearing our deadline," A quick _Tempus_ confirms my thought, it is nearing 4 o'clock; I tap my wand over the completed piles. They glow gold briefly, a standard signal for the completion of a magical contract. They roll into scrolls and disappear to various archives to be filed. In their place are two plain band black rings; Portkeys linked to the property we now own. There is note next to them telling us the activation phrase is 'Saigo' meaning 'Last' in Japanese, referring, I would presume, to the numerous thought to be extinct species residing there.

"Let's go, it is time for us to see our new place of residence."

"Mm, and find a place to crash for the night."

Very well," we both pick up the rings, "Saigo!" we disappear soundlessly, twisting and turning in the Portkeys wake.

71N3 13R3AK

Nosferatu's POV

We arrive at the base of a large mountain, the summit is cloaked in a thick mist, but I can see a path leading up to a small cabin perched on a ridge. "Come on! It's this way!" I yell, racing off towards a split in the tree line. The path is little more than a game trail, fraught with tree roots, pothole and small boulders. Thankfully I inherited a little of the inherent vampire grace and balance, so navigating the otherwise treacherous path is simple.

"Be careful, Nozzie!" Severus calls after me; I can hear him cursing when he stumbles over something. _'It's a little strange to see someone usually so graceful and composed so flustered.' _ I think with a smile.

Soon the path widens into a long set of stairs, I pause halfway up to see where Severus is. "Eh? Where is he?"

"Right behind you," says a sarcastic voice, "I'm not so ungainly that I can't keep up with you!" he says, eyebrow raised, his expression practically screams 'Well Duh!'

I laugh and we turn around to see the entrance to our new world. It's a small log house, with a stone chimney running up the right side. There's a large tree; cedar or oak perhaps, towering over the house and a small waterfall and pooling stream as well. There a small wooden sign saying "Welcome to the Last World" well actually it says something in characters, with the English translation below it but I don't know what the characters最後世界のようこそ mean.

* * *

Translations: the Japanese character in the last chapter should say Welcome to the Last Word. Phonetically: Saigo Sekai no Youkoso. Saigo meaning last, Sekai meaning world and Youkoso meaning welcome.


End file.
